Tag Archive: Easterns

The registration deadline has been extended. We are lucky to again be the hosting district for the ESA Southeast Regional Surfing Championships April 20-22 at Paradise Beach Park in Melbourne Beach! Make sure to get registered online today! Remember, you must surf in the SE Regionals to qualify for the 2018 Easterns being held in Nags Head NC September 16-22, 2018. Go all the way and claim your title! It is also a requirement for surfers wanting to compete in the USA Surfing Championships be held in Oceanside and Trestles CA June 11-20, 2018. This is ESA’s 51st season for the greatest amateur surfing organization in the world!! So glad you can be a part of it!

Best of luck to all of our Central Florida ESA competitors! Easterns is the greatest amateur surf event ever and it is only possible because of the greatness of each individual. Each competitor, each volunteer, every fan, and our devoted staff members. Cream always rises to the top and The Eastern Surfing Association has proven itself and so has it’s members, for nearly 50 years! We are all, each and every one of us, blessed to have a relationship with the ocean. With respect for our beaches and environment, we become far more than surf athletes. We are ambassadors for the living force that is the ocean, which gives life to all on Earth! Never take this role lightly, and know that we are so proud to not only have the best surf family ever, but we have an even larger impact when we carry ourselves as stewards of the beach… CFL Pride!

The Eastern Surfing Association 2013 Easterns® Surfing Championships at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina finished up on Saturday with an exciting day of youth finals. The event showcased the best amateur surfers from the entire East Coast, including the Great Lakes and Alabama.
“The weather and waves cooperated for the last few days of competition and the surfers really gave it their all,” said ESA Executive Director, Michelle Sommers. The wind was a factor on Wednesday for the Open and SUP divisions, but lightened for all the youth divisions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. “The beach was crowded and there was plenty of surf throughout the entire week,” adds Sommers.

A live webcast provided by Space Coast Productions reached over 17,000 viewers during the event, with all the action currently replaying on the ESA website atwww.surfesa.org throughout the next week. “It’s great to be able to allow the competitors to view the webcast of the event as it was originally shown,” says Sommers. “We are also posting tons of photos of the competitors and other event happenings by official event photographer, Mickey McCarthy on our website and Facebook page.
In Wednesday’s Open Shortboard Final, Tyler Faulkner took first, beating Chuck Barend, who finished second, with Jared Bono in third and Parker Greenwood in fourth. CFL’s Kieran Grant grabbed first in the “Jimmy Lewis” Open SUP Division with Craig Leider, Michael Carter and ESA All-Star Fisher Grant finishing second, third and fourth, respectively.

Saturday’s Menehunes Final saw Micha Cantor claim first, followed by Noah Dovin, Blake Elmore and Christian Daniels. Nick Groshell finished first in the Boys Final, with Chase Stevens in second, Jordan Montgomery in third and Boyd Brown in fourth. Tyler Faulker took the “Under Armour” Junior Mens event, followed by CFL’s Fisher Grant, Tyler Clazey and Hobie Sears in second, third and fourth, respectively.
Shealyn Cunningham led the Girls Division, with Lily Whatley claiming second, Laney Brooks in third and Kathryn Neff in fourth. In Junior Womens, the ESA’s first-ever all ESA All-Star Final saw Cassidy McClain claiming first, followed by fellow All-Stars Grace Muckenfuss, Darsha Pigford and Piper Austin in second, third and fourth, respectively.
The waves were clean and plentiful for the Longboard Finals, with Nick Copenhauer, CFL’s Fisher Grant and ESA All-Star Jazmine Dean each taking first place in the Menehune, Junior and Junior Womens Longboard divisions, respectively. ESA All-Star Simon Hetrick claimed the win in Menehune Bodyboard, along with a second in Menehune Longboard and third in Open Bodyboard. Noah Fielder took first in Open Bodyboard, followed by Chris Makibbin in second and Carlisle Carter in fourth.

The Youth and Adult Iron Man awards were presented to Jared Bono and Michael Foard, respectively. There was a tie for Iron Woman between Georgia Cook and Kathryn Neff. The Hot Wave Award was also tied, with a total of 9.33 for both Tyler Faulkner and Austin Hollingshead.
ESA All-Star Team member Ana Barend and her husband, Chuck, were jointly presented with the Easterns® Sportsmanship Award for going above and beyond throughout the week in support of the event and their fellow competitors.

A complete list of all the results can be found at www.surfesa.org. The ESA would like to thank Plak That and Schoppy’s for going out of their way to create unique youth and adult awards.

Special thanks also go out to the Town of Nags Head, Sun Realty, The Outer Banks Tourism Bureau, Kitty Hawk Surf Company, Café Lachine, Waveriders Coffee, Hatteras Island Christian Fellowship, along with all the local sponsors who helped make the event a success. ESA National Sponsors include Under Armour, Sun Bum, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Starboard Surfboards, Boardstix, Inc., Coca-Cola, Jimmy Lewis SUP, Catch Surf, Surfer Magazine and Swellinfo.

As a director for the Central Florida Easter Surfing Association I am so thrilled for our “member surfers” present and future! What a great opportunity for everyone seeking a path not only to the best East Coast Championships ever, “Easterns”, but now our surfers can participate in the Prime series for a shot at the USA title and a possible spot on Team USA! Check this out! Aloha, Mike Grant